The SNP Government was today accused of betraying elderly Scots by replicating Labour’s decision to abandon universal winter fuel payments for pensioners.
At FMQs, Douglas Ross said that it was a political choice made by John Swinney that will result in almost 900,000 Scots pensioners being deprived of the benefit.
The Scottish Conservative leader said the £160million saved by cutting the payment amounted to just 0.3 per cent of the SNP Government’s annual budget.
He added that while Scottish pensioners risk freezing to death this winter, SNP ministers had allowed the bill for Scottish Government civil servants to soar.
Douglas Ross also cited a Scottish Government consultation document, drawn up prior to the Labour Government’s announcement, which states: “We will continue to review the eligibility and scope of the Pension Age Winter Heating Payment”.
He said this indicated that the SNP had always been considering removing universality from this benefit.
Scottish Conservative leader Douglas Ross said: “The Winter Fuel Payment – shamefully cut by Labour at Westminster – was devolved to the Scottish Government.
“The decision not to pay this money to Scottish pensioners is one taken by the SNP Government.
“The First Minister has said that his government is against these cuts – and that they were forced upon them – but that is not true.
“In May, well before Labour’s decision, the SNP government in its consultation on the new benefit said: ‘We will continue to review the eligibility and scope of the Pension Age Winter Heating Payment’.
“So it is clear that the SNP was considering cutting this payment long before the announcement by the UK Labour Government.
“Politics is about choices – and John Swinney’s government have chosen to pass on Labour cuts, which could see 900,000 Scottish pensioners losing out.
“This week we learned that the bloated Scottish Government civil service had reached a record high. Public sector pen pushers are more important to John Swinney than stopping pensioners freezing in their own homes.
“Labour said this policy would kill thousands of pensioners across the UK and, due to our colder climate, a disproportionate number of those are likely to be in Scotland.
“But John Swinney repeatedly refused to say how many unnecessary deaths his policy will lead to.
“The £160 million cost of these payments is just a fraction – 0.3% – of the Scottish Government’s £50 billion budget.
“The SNP government could find the money if it’s important to them – so why is keeping pensioners warm this winter not a priority for John Swinney?”
Notes to editors
The comment Douglas Ross cited in the Scottish Government consultation document can be found here (page nine): https://www.gov.scot/binaries/content/documents/govscot/publications/consultation-analysis/2024/05/pension-age-winter-heating-payment-pawhp-consultation-response/documents/scottish-government-response-consultation-pension-age-winter-heating-payment-pawhp/scottish-government-response-consultation-pension-age-winter-heating-payment-pawhp/govscot%3Adocument/scottish-government-response-consultation-pension-age-winter-heating-payment-pawhp.pdf